OK, next question: how hard should one pull on the strop whilst one is stropping away? Plus, how hard does one push the blade down onto the strop? I realize these things are difficult to quantify, but does one pull hard enough to attempt for minimum deflection of the strop and does one just glide the blade over the leather with minimal down pressure, or with a bit of down pressure, or with a bit more than a bit of down pressure?

I really like the traction one can get from the D rings on Tony's strops. Being an old oarsman, the tug potential reminds me of a starting stroke in the old eight, or maybe it's completely unnecessary to pull with that amount of vigor (being an old oarsman, that amount of vigor is largely imaginary anyway).

still at sea, Bruce